


Escalation

by Serazimei



Series: Sibling Time [6]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Recreational Drug Use, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, We're talking Gavin here after all, but that's kind of a given
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-11-03 21:24:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17885471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serazimei/pseuds/Serazimei
Summary: The journalists got some facts wrong, mainly Gavins life status. Elijah doesn't take it well.And shit goes down the drain.





	1. Fake News

Gavin was bone tired as he staggered back to his apartment from the precinct. He could have taken his car, it would have been the safer option, given that the end of Februar still wouldn't stop with all the ice and snow shit. But he needed the fresh air and semi darkness of the night to calm down.  
It took him about an hour to get home like that. Walking at a snails pace while the images and sounds of this nights events played through his head over and over again. Truth was even while he put up a strong, uncaring front, being in the middle of a shoot out left even him shaken.  
It left him shaking so much, in fact, that he needed four tries to get his damn key into the lock. Which turned out to be wasted effort because his apartment door swung open anyway.  
Gavin let out a barely audible whine. Gods, he couldn't deal with burglars on top of everything life had thrown at him today.  
He slinked into his living space and then rubbed his eyes in doubt. Okay, fuck what he had thought earlier he'd rather have burglars in his home than have to deal with this. Because on his couch, in a cloud of weedsmoke and sobbing dramatically while clutching one of Gavins shirts was his brother.

„What the fuck?“ Gavin whispered, turning on the lights now that he knew he wasn't in danger.

Red rimmed eyes looked up to him, Elijahs face morphing into one of shock and disbelief. He stumbled up and Gavin had to dart forward to prevent him from falling over the table and probably breaking his legs.

„The fuck Elijah!“ he yelled this time, dragging him back into a sitting position.

This close he could not only smell the weed but the alcohol as well. His brother was stoned and drunk?! Well shit. Gavin already felt a huge headache coming. That's why he never socialized. It was hard being a reckless idiot when everyone around you was an even bigger one and you had to take care of them. And he liked being the guy who did the cool stunts and the rushing in.  
He degraded himself to be a nanny, he suddenly realized. Damn it and his sudden conscience growth.  
Gavin tried to get up and get his brother a big glass of water and maybe a bucket for the worst case scenario. But Elijah wouldn't fucking let go of him. He clung to him like a toddler, only with the strength of Hulk. The genius had started to mumble Gavins name. At first it had been a slow trickle of „Gavin?“ which turned into a stream of more and more desperate sounding „Gavin!“.  
The detective in question felt the fabric on his shoulder go damp and decided to awkwardly comb through his brothers loose, tangled mess of hair to sooth him.

„Yes, I'm here. Fuck what the hell happened?“

„Said you were dead.“ Elijah whined, burrying impossibly closer and tightening his grip to the point it started to hurt.

„Who did?“

„News...“

Gavin frowned and used his cellphone to turn on his TV. Immediatly the scenes from this evening came on, only shot from far away and without much chance of seeing anything specifically. Most of the action had gone on in the warehouse anyway, so the cameras from above were only able to get the huge amount of back up police cars swarming the scene and the cascades of gun shots shattering the peace of the night.  
The images flickered back and forth between the happenings of the raids and reporters interviewing „experts“ about their opinions on the matter. And sure enough, after a bit of watching his name fell as one of the dead. Gavin scoffed at the stupid mistake and promptly turned the TV off again.

„Yeah, they got it wrong. A few officers were shot tonight and yeah, one died on the scene, but it wasn't me.“

A shuddery breath was his answer and a cold, snotty nose rubbing at his throat. Ugh, gross.  
Not wanting to keep listening to the sobs of his clearly still distraught brother he started talking again.

„Look I'm unharmed, okay? Connor is the one you should maybe be worried about. Or not, cause the fucker is just about unkillable. He did get damaged pretty badly, though. Hank was frantic, wouldn't leave his side. The two are probably at Cyberlife now, getting Connor patched up.-“

„Gavin?“

„Yes?“

„You're not a hallucination?“

Gavin resisted the urge to face palm. „No Elijah, I'm real. And you would know that hadn't you decided to get totally fucking shitfaced.“

If Elijah heard his barely conceiled anger he ignored it. „That's what a hallucination would say.“

Gavin groaned. „Oh for fucks' sake! That's it we are sobering you up!“

It was a struggle to get his brother to the small bathroom and into the shower. The former Cyberlife CEO hung off him like a dead weight, his legs sometimes stepping into Gavins nearly making them both fall down. Gavin had never been this greatful for walls to exist.  
They had to make a short stop at the toilet, Elijahs stomach finally rebelling against all the toxins it had been forced to consume. Gavin held Elijahs hair like the good little brother he was, while the genius retched his soul out.  
Both grunted in discomfort when Gavin finally got his brother into the shower and turned on an ice cold spray. Gavin had looked forward to a shower actually, but he had not imagined it to be like this. His clothes were soggy, he was shivering like crazy and Elijah had probably decided to kill him himself by making him fucking slip in the bathroom.  
At the time he had managed to wrestle the wet clothes off of their bodies and get themselves into warm, comfortable ones the clock already read 1.00 am. Elijah was finally downing his first glass of water and didn't look like he would join the dead anymore.  
The clingy bastard still refused to let him go, though. The Android Creator snuggled up to Gavin like he was his personal teddybear. At least he had calmed down.

„I'm hungry...“ came a faint whisper from his shoulder.

Gavin sighed. Everything hurt and he didn't want to move another muscle anymore. „That's what weed does to you, dipshit.“

He got up anyway, Elijah following him like a little lost duckling, gripping the sleeve of his long shirt. As if Gavin would disappear if Elijah didn't keep in contact with him at all times.

„Okay, we have tater tots, instant noodles...damn I need to go grocery shopping again. Wait... there's a few vegetables left in the cooler and instant vegy soup, should be able to cook something semi healthy for your drunk ass.“ Gavin was talking along as he opened several cabinets, the fridge and the cooler.

Elijah just whined miserably, pressing close again and...was he fucking crying again? Fuck, he couldn't keep dealing with this shit.

„I'm hungry now.“ the former CEO complained.

„You're mostly drunk and stoned, so suck it up.“

„'m tired...“ Elijah said like the world was about to end.

„I thought you were hungry?“ God, Gavin hated drunks.

„M morr tired...“

Gavin sighed, feeling his well of patience slowly drying up. „Fine, but don't complain or raid the kitchen during the night.“

„M'kay.“

It was a loosing battle to get Elijah to sleep on the couch. And letting him sleep alone in the bed didn't work either. So Gavin ended up fucking cuddling with his weird half brother in his far too small bed only meant for _one_ fucking person. It was a good thing no one could see them like this, because they would probably have pointed out that Gavin was hugging Elijah back just as much.

____________________

The next morning Gavin untangled himself from the mass of bedsheets and limbs not his own. He called a relieved Chloe first, ignoring the dozens of messages on his phone. Then he talked to Fowler while making breakfast, excusing himself from work, saying he needed a mental day off. The Captain hadn't been happy about that, but backed down with ease. Gavin usually wasn't the one to ask for a day off even after traumatic events. So Fowler figured there had to be an important reason why Gavin couldn't come into the bullpen.  
When he had finished making breakfast (something light and healthy so his brother could stomach it) he went and checked all the messages he had missed the night before. He was stalling waking up his brother, he knew. But there were some things even he dreaded.  
It was a good thing he procrastinated this time. It seemed Elijah hadn't been the only one watching the news yesterday. Shit he had never had such a full inbox before. And from so many people.

Tina had called him three times as well.

Right, fuck, she was currently on vacation with her boyfriend, a trip planned long before the date for the raids had been set. She had been furious that she couldn't come with him, but begrudgingly had accepted her fate. Shit, she must have been fucking worried too.

„Gavin! Oh my god, you're alive!“ came the teary shout that nearly blasted his right eardrum.

„Yeah, shitstains on the news got the names mixed up somehow. Sorry for calling so late, needed to take care of something first.“ He glanced over at the bedroom door at that.

„Still being secretive I see. Well glad you made it out in one piece, would have seriously ruined my vacation time.“ she tried saying nonchalantly, but Gavin could still hear the light hitch in her voice and it made his heart clench uncomfortably. Fuck, he hated this.

„Yeah, I'm good. Now go back and enjoy your last fucking days in the sun. And send fucking pictures.“

A teary laugh and a „will do, asshole.“ were the last thing he heard before the line went dead. He stayed still for a second, phone held on his ear and staring off into space. Inside he fought over which task he dreaded more, looking over all the missed texts or waking up his probably hungover, overemotional brother. With a sigh he tapped at his phone again, opening his messenger app...

Sent From: Chloe  
To: Gavin

_I know this probably won't do much, but there's at least a slight chance that the reporters are wrong and you are still alive. Just, please be alive. And if you are write back asap. Or better call. I've never seen Elijah like this, not even after your big fight. Gavin I'm scared he won't survive this._

Sent From: Claire  
To: Gavin

_Oh Ra9, don't be dead, please! Chloe said there could be a small chance of error...Don't leave us uncle. We just got you..._

Sent From: Charlotte  
To: Gavin

_Gavin, Elijah is scaring me. I don't know what to do, everyone is freaking out and crying and I can't deal with this. Don't do this to us...I know it's not your fault, but..._

Gavin swallowed the lump in his throat, answering Charlotte and Claire, promising to come over soon, when Elijah would be okay again. He didn't bother writing Chloe, already having contacted her.

The next message was from Leo and made him fucking laugh out loud. Not that it was funny, he just enjoyed the tone.

Sent From: Richboy  
To: Gavin

_Alright you bastard, what the fuck! You can't just bite the dust like that! I was fucking befriending you! Shit, how am I gonna deal with Markus' weird peace shit without having you to rant to? Get your skinny ass back out of the grave, god damn it..._

Sent From: Gavin  
To: Richboy

_I lived, motherfucker._

Sending that text made him feel much better. That was the shit he was familiar with. Hanks message was easily stomached too:

Sent From: Hank  
To: Gavin

_Heard you bit the dust. Weird, saw you stalking off the scene like a peacock._

Sent From: Gavin  
To: Hank

_It's the Fake News, man. Manipulation everywhere._

He nearly asked about Connors health, but then again he did get a message from the robocop too, so he was probably fine.  
Whelp, on to the Robocrew. Why the fuck so many would try texting a supposed dead man was beyond Gavin. If Elijah wouldn't have been so shit faced he would have believed it to be a very well played prank.

Sent From: North  
To: Gavin

_Shit, I didn't know you well and you're a human, but. Man sorry for your death I guess._  
_Not. Connor finally contacted us. Told us you're alright. He was pretty confused, too. Hope you're not getting too much backlash from the misunderstanding._

Sent From: Simon  
To: Gavin

_Connor said you're well. But I still wanted to write you to say that I'm glad you're alive. Also please consider seeing a therapist? Connor said the situation there hadn't been pretty and images like that can corrupt the mind. I would hate to see your bright attitude dim._

Sent From: Josh  
To: Gavin

_I'm glad you are well. I believe my friends have already said everything else. Also, I'm with Simon. Please take care of yourself._

Gavin snorted, saps all of them. And damn it he was turning into one as well, replying to each one to thank them like a polite fucking person. Honestly it was only procrastination within procrastination, cause he kinda didn't want to read Markus' text. Somehow the guy had become a sort of idol even for him. It was hard not to respect the guy with that aura of authority constantly emitting off of him. He was still below Connor and Elijah on the „Person-I-don't-want-to-deal-with-right-now spectrum“, though.

Sent From: Robojesus  
To: Gavin

_Connor finally came back to us and told us you weren't in fact, dead. I'm very glad to hear that. And I'm sure everyone else is as well. I also hope Elijah is okay? He didn't sound very coherent the last time I tried contacting him._

Sent From: Gavin  
To: Robojesus

_Thx. Yeah Lijahs wasted. I'll watch his hungover ass for today._

Scrolling through his feed again he noticed that he had missed one from Carl as well. What the fuck, why did 'Lijahs idol write him, too. Heck he liked the old fucker for sure, but they had only met once until now and had never really written with each other. (Not like the Jericho crew, who immediatly stuffed him into their group chat, because apparently he needed to be kept updated with the current Robo Laws. Seriously the chat was mostly political talk. Gavin periodically destroyed it with memes just to liven up the place. Connor and North found it hilarious.)

Sent From: Carl  
To: Gavin

_Apparently it is in now to write the dead. Although Markus told me there was a slight chance the news got it wrong. I do hope they did, by whatever miracle. If not I will be honored to attend your funeral. If you are I hope you will be able to laugh at this text, at least. Elijah probably is giving you a hard time by now. The boy was never good at handling emotions, quite like his creations._

Sent From: Gavin  
To: Carl

_I'm fine old man. Thanks for the text. Yeah Lijahs gone off the roofs. I'll be on babysitting duty now._

There was something warm in his chest, something that made his heart feel like it was bursting. Gavin briefly considered an oncoming heart attack before he realized that he felt touched. He had gotten hurt on the job so many times throughout the years. And this was the first time he had gotten this kind of response. Granted he had not been declared dead before, but he probably still wouldn't have gotten this amount of attention before. It felt good in a bittersweet way. Marked his progress.  
Armed with this he looked at the last text.

Sent From: Robocop  
To: Gavin

_There were a lot of people calling me to ask for your current life status. Which made me a little worried, as well. You are alright, yes? I was a little out of it after the shooting, so I'm scared my perception of the events has been muddled._  
_I am well now, by the way. It only took two hours of repair. But Hank will not leave me out of his sight. I guess Mr. Kamski is currently the same way?_

Gavin shook his head as he typed his reply. „A little out of it“, yeah sure. Fancy way of saying „totally fucked up“. Connor had taken at least five bullets into his torso, sucking them up like a fucking sponge. It was an absolute miracle that none had damaged his Thirium Pump. The fucking idiot.

Sent From: Gavin  
To: Robocop

 _Yo, I'm good. So congrats, you didn't just tell a bunch of people a dead person isn't dead. That would have been awkward._  
_Thx for the update. Knew you'd just pop back up. Fucking Androids._

Great, now he didn't have anyone to write back anymore. And Chloe wasn't there yet. He really didn't want to deal with Elijah alone. He had never experienced him truly hungover and he wasn't going to do his chores with a fucking deadweight hanging off him again. So he made himself another coffee and camped at his front door, shutting his phone off to keep it from constantly fucking vibrating. Man, sometimes he wished he could do that mind thingy Androids could do. Or maybe not, being constantly bombarded with text probably wasn't fun.  
He was about halfway through his coffee when the doorbell rang. Chloe had to place the two big bags on the floor beside her first before she could hug him. And geez it really felt like people just wanted to kill him with affection these days. The RT600 model maybe looked like a delicate flower, but she had strength to combat Connors.

„Chlo, sweetheart, you're breaking my spine.“ Gavin wheezed while gently patting her back.

When she pulled back he saw her small smile and thankfully she wasn't crying. Gavin didn't think he could deal with anymore of that overemotional stuff. She immediately took up the bags again and stalked around him into the kitchen, humming approvingly at the decked breakfast table. Ever the business woman.

„Elijah isn't up yet?“ she asked, revealing what she had bought for him.

„No, I didn't want to wake him yet. You got any pain meds? Bet the idiot will have a killer headache.“

Gavin marveled at all the treats coming to see the light of day. There was a lot of fruit, some of which he had never seen before. Fish and healthy looking meat with little fat came next. Then there were the vegetables, all as ripe as can be and looking like they had come right out of a food commercial. This was the expensive stuff. The kind you didn't get in a normal fucking grocery store, because normal people couldn't care less about the shit the industry put in their food.

„You are an absolute angel, Chlo.“ Gavin muttered in awe, helping to put everything away.

Chloe giggled. „Well I've already got the looks. Here are the pain meds, by the way. Can you go wake him now?“

Gavin shuffled into the bedroom with a big glass of water and a pill at the ready. He was surprised to see Elijah already awake and staring blankly at the ceiling. The room was totally dark, safe for the little stream of light peaking through the drawn curtains. The thin beam went right over Elijahs face, leaving a scorching path right between his eyes. It looked like a scar. Or maybe that was just the dark mood getting to Gavins imagination.

„Lijah?“

His brother blinked, head turning only slightly. Glassy eyes stared at him in wonder, making Gavin want to squirm.

„You're still here.“

„Of course I am, dipshit. I'm fucking real. How are you feeling?“

Gavin came to sit on the edge of the bed and helped his brother to sit up. He held out the glass and pill to him, but instead of taking them Elijah opted to hold Gavins hand, stroking it in wonder.

„You feel real.“ Elijah muttered, voice still barely audible.

„How many times do I need to fucking say it? Now drink this and swallow that.“

It took ages for Gavins impatient ass, but at least Elijah moved to do as he was told.

„Great, now get your ass up, Chloe is in the kitchen waiting for us.“

Elijah was quiet during the whole breakfast. Nibbling slightly at the dark bread, eating bits and pieces of the carrots given to him. He looked like a zombie and moved at the speed, too. Gavin sat close to him, letting Elijah grip his arm for comfort. Chloe filled the silence with idle chatter, telling them what the ST200 models had been up to.

„This isn't a dream?“ Elijah asked suddenly, sounding so unsure even Gavin wanted to hug the guy.

„No, 'Lijah. You're awake.“

„But you're alive.“

„Yeah.“

„There was a single digit percent chance, that the news were wrong.“

„Yeah, well. Some people win the lottery. I get the shitty luck and get declared dead.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with this we start a wonderful journey into despair~
> 
> I'm honestly so excited to post this one. It's gonna be the conclusion of the Sibling Time series, but I've already planned  
> some spin offs so this won't be the end.
> 
> Gosh I had the scene with Elijah stuck in my mind since the beginning of the series. It felt sooo good finally writing it down.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Don't worry I'll update regularly :)


	2. Fall Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elijahs old attitude is showing again. And things left unsaid in the past now come to bite the siblings in the ass.

Going to work the next day was a nightmare. Elijah had finally accepted the reality that Gavin wasn't dead, but the seed of fear had started to grow into an ugly plant of paranoia. His idiot genius of a brother just didn't want him going to the precinct again. Not yet, Elijah had said, of course, but Gavin already felt cornered. And he always reacted violently when he felt like that. So he yelled at his brother for the first time since they had reunited and stomped out of his apartment with a lump in his throat.  
Alarm bells where ringing in his head the whole day through, bits and pieces of the past flashing past him. It was hard to concentrate on the reports he had to write.  
It was the fifth time that he went to get himself a coffee that Connor followed him into the break room.

„I recommend making yourself calming chamomille tea instead, Gavin.“ the fucker started.

„As if that would help shit, tin can. How come Hank isn't glued to your ass.“

To spite the Android Gavin added five sugar to his black drink. He usually didn't take his coffee with anything, but if it bothered Connor he was willing to make a few sacrifices. He even managed not to pull a face while taking a provocative sip. Yuck, that shit was sickly sweet.

Connor had the fucking nerve to just sigh in slight annoyance. „I know what you are doing and it won't work this time. You're stress levels are through the roof.“ he paused and tilted his head in thought. „Well, more than usual, at least. Did something happen with your brother?“

Gavin sneered. „That's none of your fucking business. Get lost.“

Connor nooded, not in the slightest offended. „I understand, here is not the right place to talk about this. We can talk on our lunch break.“

„I'm not fucking talking to you.“ Gavin snarled, now coming up and shoving his nose close to Connors face. Damn why were Androids so freaking tall!?

„You don't want the precinct to know about your relationship with a certain inventor, do you?“

Gavin reeled back, nearly splashing the coffee on the floor. „Are you blackmailing me?!“

„It's for your own good.“

„God fucking damn it fine. Why do you always have to fucking meddle.“

Connor gave him one of those bright smiles, that always made him want to punch the tin can in the face. With a chair. „I'm a detective Android, Gavin. I was built to meddle.“

Hank send the two a confused frown when they went out a few hours later. And he honest to god pouted when Connor told him he couldn't come with. Had Gavin not been in such a bad mood he might have snickered.  
Connor had wanted to go to a nice little café to talk, but Gavin had shook his head opting for a walk. Androids weren't the only ones who needed to move and do stuff to get rid of nervous energy.

„So, what happened?“ Connor asked after a bit. He wasn't looking at Gavin, instead watching some kids play with the slosh that once was snow.

Gavin told him what had transpired, leaving out most of the mushy stuff, only stating hard facts. It brought back that constricting feeling in his chest, triggering his flight or fight instinct.

„Elijah cares deeply for you.“ Connor said in awe after Gavin was done. „I never pecked him to be the type.“

„'Lijah cares deeply for a lot of stuff. He loves his daughters, too.“

„Daughters? You mean Chloe and the ST200 models?“ Connor frowned. „He dared me to shoot one of them for a test.“

„Yeah, Charlotte told me. She had willingly played along. Wouldn't have died anyway. Elijah would have just uploaded her memory into a new body. 'Lijah still feels fucking guilty, of course, but he wanted the revolution to be successful.“

„That is-...Well, we weren't talking about that. Why did you yell at him?“

„Are you fucking stupid? I had to get to work somehow. You don't know how clingy Elijah can be. He obsesses. And when he does, once he starts, he doesn't know when to stop. How do you think he managed to get Chloe up and running in such a short amount of time?“

„So you say he wouldn't have let you go?“

„No...“

„You should talk to him about that.“

Gavin groaned. Yeah, he knew that. He should have fucking talked to his brother about that before all this shit had went down, when they had both still been calm and content. But he hadn't, like the dumb fuck he was, too scared to break the fragile thing they had started to built. Scared to loose his family again.

„I will.“ he promised instead, because there was nothing else to say.

_____________________

Gavin was surprised to find Elijah still in his home, but Chloe gone. He still looked just as miserable.

„Did you even move since I left?“ Gavin asked to break the ice.

„A little...Gavin. We need to talk.“

Gavin didn't like that flat tone at all. It only made him tense up more. God, he really wanted a fucking drink now, but doing this in any other state than sober would only make the situation worse.

„I agree.-“

„I don't want you to work as a detective anymore.“ Elijah blurted over him.

Gavin gritted his teeth, something ugly coiling in his stomach. „We talked about this when I entered that fucking academy. I'm not going to argue about that again.“

„But I nearly lost you! I thought I lost you. And I don't want that. I want you to be safe. I can provide for you if you want or you can get another, less dangerous job. Just- I don't think I can bear to go through that again...“

Elijahs eyes were glistening again. He looked a wreck, not having showered in two days and hair out of his usual neat man bun, uncempt. His face was blotched red and his nose was running. Gavin only felt white hot anger at the sight.

„That is my fucking decision Elijah! I love my job. It's been everything I've had for the past 20 years and I'm not giving it up.“

„You have us now!“ Elijah screamed.

Ah, there it was. That fire that went through both of them and burned everything to the ground when no one else was around to hold an emergency bucket. Gavin wished for a split second that Chloe had stayed.  
Elijah was stalking towards him now and Gavin took a surprised step back. But after that he refused to budge letting his brother get close. The genius gripped Gavins shoulders tight, madness or tears making his eyes shine. Maybe it was both.

„You have a whole host of people who care for you now. It's time you stop chasing after your fucking adrenalin high!“

Gavin snarled pushing Elijah away with ease, only to get up in his face again. „You don't get it!“, he spat, „I don't care about the fucking high. I love the job because I'm good at it and because I can take out fuckers that deserve to rot in the streets!“

„Is that so? Then how come you are one of the most reckless in the damn police force!“

„How would you know?!“ Gavins neighboors were going to kill him, hopefully they hadn't called the police yet.

Elijah took a step back, asshole attitude back up a hundred percent. This was the Elijah that dealt with strangers or with situations he felt overwhelmed by. Gavin hated that side of him with a passion. The guy stood there all cocky and with a cruel, mocking smirk on his face.

„Fourteen hospital submissions in the last five years, one for a bad bullet wound that nearly hit a lung. Reports state you always go in first, rush in and point your gun at anything that moves. You like to provoke your suspects and you get into fistfights a lot. Of course I can give you all the details if you want.“

„What the fuck?! Where did you get-“ Gavin needed to take a deep breath so he wouldn't just punch his brother. „You hacked into the fucking DPD Data Base?! The fuck is wrong with you, asshole!“

„What's wrong with you?!“

„Well, apparently less than with you! You have no damn clue what privacy is!“ Shit his throat started to hurt and there was a steady pressure building behind his eyes as well. But he refused to show weakness now. Elijah would just use that to manipulate him.

„I was looking out for you. I care for you.“

The sudden change of volume gave Gavin backlash. At least his vocal cords could take a break. „You're obsessing. There's a difference.“ He said sadly.

Some emotion flashed over his brothers face, but Gavin was too tired to interprete it. It didn't matter anyway, the next thing his brother said drove the final nail into the coffin.

„I'm not. You just lived in isolation for so long that you don't know what affection looks like. anymore“

„Get out.“ Gavin whispered, lump now blocking too much of his throat to yell.

Elijah squared his shoulders and crossed his arms, glaring. „I'm not leaving.“

„Fine.“ Gavin bit out. „Then I will.“

And with that he turned tail and stomped out of the apartment using his brothers shock to flee. He only started running when the door had banged shut.

The next weeks he stayed in cheap motels all over Detroit, avoiding the area of his apartment building like the plague. He dreaded every morning he stepped foot in the precinct, fearing his brother would appear and make a scene.  
He had blocked Elijahs number on his phone, well knowing it wouldn't do much if Elijah really set his mind to contacting him. There were downsides to having a genius for a brother.  
His work was the only thing not slacking and it felt like the life before that fateful christmas only ten times worse. Because his money was running out, staying in motels (even cheap ones) not exactly a sustainable lifestyle. And there were a lot of people he had to ignore now. His phone was constantly bursting with messages from Chloe and his other nieces. Sometimes Leo or Markus tried to call.  
The attempts to reach out from his friends and family only made it worse, though. It made Gavin feel even more trapped. He knew he was driving himself crazy. That he was being paranoid just as much as his brother. He just couldn't stop. Fear of being restrained, of being cut from the things he loved to do more than anything, was just too big.  
Connor was surprisingly giving him space. He had apparently be getting tips from Tina, who didn't bother him either. He noticed their worried glances, of course. Which only made him feel worse.

He was stuck in a downward spiral now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is up~ 
> 
> I'm honest I feel a bit uncomfortable with how occ Elijah became throughout the series. I still have that asshole character in mind who toys with society for fun and doesn't care about anyone but himself. But well, I guess he never was that kind of character in this series anyway.
> 
> I am itching to write him as an absolute asshole, though. Someday I will XD
> 
> Also thank you all so much for reading this.~


	3. Worse Before Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin goes back to his usual coping mechanisms. Needless to say they don't exactly work well.

It took a lot of courage to get back into his apartment after a month of constantly staying somewhere else. But money problems where a great motivator. Fighting fear with fear.

He breathed a sigh of relief when no one was there. And yet he still searched through everything, emptying the cupboards, looking under the table, the couch, everywhere. His brother could have left bugs and cameras. He didn't think his brother had stooped so low (he probably just tracked his phone anyway, the asshole), but better be safe than sorry. He did it more for his peace of mind anyway, quite like most people rushed back into their homes to check if they turned off the coffee machine, back when they still had to be turned off manually.  
After using most of his free day to turn everything upside down only to then put it back again, he tried to relax in front of his TV. He laid down with a glass of cheap whiskey and opened Netflix, choosing a mindless horror movie to keep his mind distracted.  
There was something making his body vibrate. His nerves tingled, heart pumping like he was on a dangerous crime scene.  
Over and over he changed positions. Then he started pacing through his flat. He tried a relaxing shower, downing some more whiskey, playing games on his phone, nothing helped. He couldn't calm down.  
He hadn't been able to for a while now.  
„Fucking damn it!“ he yelled, smashing the empty glass against the kitchen floor. It didn't help either, just made a mess again.  
Fuck! This was wrong. Everything was wrong! He needed out, a change of place, anything. Maybe a good fist fight would get rid of all this nervous energy. There was something about punching some random stranger that felt utterly freeing in a way punching a sack of sand never could accomplish.  
He wouldn't go out now, of course. He liked to be sober when he picked his fights.  
Despite what Elijah had said he wasn't that reckless.

____________________

Chloe watched Elijahs prone figure sitting slumped over on the bed. It had been days since he had been up, so this was an improvement. Still a dozen software instabilities came up seeing him like this. The genius was wrenching his hands angrily, picking at the skin close to the nails and making angry little noises. Chloe stood in front of him, tablet with food in her hands, waiting. She had learned to be patient with this man. For all that his brilliant mind had to offer he could be frustratingly stubborn. They both could be, Chloe mused. Gavin and Elijah really were alike in so many aspects. She hoped his uncle was doing okay. It had taken a lot of gentle coaxing to talk Elijah down from going after him. Given that Gavin didn't answer any texts or calls from anyone Chloe believed it to have been the right choice. After all with men like Gavin pushing sometimes caused more harm than good.  
There was movement now, Elijah finally lifting his head to look at his first daughter.

„I messed up, Chloe.“

It was like a broken record. A conversation held a million times over the past month. But Chloe was nothing but patient.

„You're both not very good at compromise.“ she replied, like she had done before. She had found that this one was the best thing to say.

„I thought I had lost him. And now I really might have, and I'm the only one to blame...“

„...“

„I'm just worried about him...“ Elijah whined, stroking his hair back with a shaky hand.

Chloe stayed silent to that as well. She couldn't agree and she wouldn't say he was false either.

A sigh. „Am I really that obsessive?“

Huh, that was a new one. Maybe there was still hope. Chloe pinged the others about the new development. The ST200 models where all tugged somewhere away in the mansion, having agreed to leave Elijah to Chloe. That didn't mean that they didn't care. They all had a channel open at all times pinging each other back and forth, alert of any changes.

„I believe you have overstepped a few of his boundaries.“ Chloe said gently.

„I...I suck at this, don't I?“

Chloe couldn't help but smile. „You can't be good at everything, Elijah. Dealing with a temperamental brother is different than doing business. Just try to be better, like you always do.“

Elijah stilled at that, looking up from his bleeding hands. There was something in his eyes now, a glimpse of the flame that usually resided there.

„You know what? You are right. I will do better this time. I won't lose my brother this way again.“

As he stood and went to bypass Chloe she instantly rebalanced the plate to have one arm free with which to grab the genius. „How about you start by taking care of yourself first?“ She asked innocently.

____________________

Tina was walking over to him as he tried to sneak out of the precinct. Shit, why today of all days? He tried ignoring her, walking faster and playing deaf to the „Gavin!“ and „Hey, asshole!“ shouted after him. Damn he wished he had long hair right now. Then he could pretend he was listening to loud music.  
Tina would have none of it either way. She easily stalked up to him and tugged harshly at his hood.

„Agh, Tina what the hell!“

„That's what you get for ignoring me, bastard.“

Gavin rubbed his throat with a frown. „What do you want?“

„To accompany you, of course.“

„I'm just going home, Teens.“ Gavin tried, walking away quickly. Tina easily held his pace. Damn he always forgot that she was kind of a gym rat, too.

„Bullshit. I might not know what's going on, but I can sense you are about to do something stupid again.“ She easily shot back, twining her arm with his.

„How would you know?“

„I know you long enough to have developed a sixth sense for your shit.“

They went to a bar together, both sitting down with non-alcoholic drinks. It was funny how their co-workers thought them to be drinking buddies, when they rarely even touched alcohol. Both didn't like drinking while feeling down, knowing that being angry drunk only lead to disaster. And they'd rather get high together in celebration than drunk. (Honestly after Hank no one at the precinct was able to enjoy alcohol quite like they used to anymore. There was just something about watching someone waste away right in front of you that sucked all the fun out of it.)

„Will you finally tell me what all this is about?“ Tina asked after a while of silently scanning the crowd.

Whenever Gavin felt this itchy his friend always made sure to come along. They usually picked the guys out together. Sometimes for angry sex. (Which excluded Tina, she was more of the Vanilla type.) And sometimes for fights. There was no one of interest there yet. It was only 8 pm, though.

„I just have left over energy to get rid off.“

„Gav, I'm not a cop for nothing. And Connor wouldn't have come to me for advice on how to treat you, were it nothing.“

„The fucker spilled?!“

„No, Connor – that absolute sweetheart – wouldn't tell me anything, because you told him not to.“

Gavin slumped into his chair. „Stupid tin can...“

„Would you rather have him hovering over you like a frantic chicken mommy again?“

„The fuck Tina, it's called mother hen, not chicken mommy.“

Tina grinned and god had she not been female Gavin would have started dating her long ago.

„What, are you the grammar police now too?“ Tina teased.

She might have succeeded in distracting him had not a tower of a man knocked into Gavins chair by accident.

Tinas eyes narrowed at him, „Gavin, no.“ she said threatingly.

Gavin gave her a sharp grin. „Gavin, yes.“ He turned slightly in the direction of the dude and yelled. „Hey jackass, you apologize for nearly running me over!“

The guy turned, confused. He really was the perfect canidate for a fight. He wore a tight shirt, showing off his muscles and he was at least a head taller than Gavin.  
Yes, Gavin liked to win his fights, but he also liked a _challenge_.  
The man didn't disappoint, clearly not happy about being called out.

„I didn't do shit, dwarf!“

It only took a few scathing remarks more and the man surged toward him. Gavin was grinning from ear to ear as the first fist came hurtling towards him. His heartbeat spiked. There was a familiar rush clouding his mind. This was better than any drug ever.

 _Stop chasing your damn adrenalin high!_ Elijahs voice yelled in his head. It threw him off balance. The kick to his stomach wasn't evaded in time. Fuck that guy had power. Trying to keep his lunch down had him preoccupied. The man punched him in the face and then easily grapped him and threw him into the next set of tables. These only being standing tables and not nailed down were shitty at catching him. Gavin fell along right with them, hitting the tiled floor hard. There was yelling around them. Gavin had lost sight of Tina in the crowd. Despite the blood running down his chin he grinned. Of course there was a crowd. That was the best part of this. Knowing that he was watched, that he entertained. People were bloodthirsty bastards, especially the ones frequenting the bars he went to. Gavin revelled in the attention.  
It was sad that he wouldn't win this fight.  
Gavin knew it the second he stood upright again. His vision was blurry and Elijahs voice was bouncing around his head, like fucking Jiminy Cricket.  
He was distracted. And now his heart wasn't in the fight anymore.  
The next punch, however, didn't hit him. A hand shot out from the masses holding tight onto the thick wrist of his contender.  
Dread pulled Gavins heart down into his pants as Connor stepped in front of him, promptly starting to talk the huge ass dude down.  
Everything else after that was a blur. Maybe he had hit his head a little too hard on one of the edges after all. Or maybe the sleep deprivation was finally catching up to him.  
He knew that Tina and Connor got him out of the bar and into a waiting taxi, of course. He also kinda noticed how cramped the space was with the three of them squished together. He didn't remember anyone talking. And he sure as fuck didn't remember that being his apartment building.  
Oh, wait, because it _wasn't_.  
The building they stopped in front of was familiar nonetheless. Gavin squinted at the house in suspicion. Gears were turning until they finally clicked.

„New Jericho?! What the fuck are we doing here?“

Connor gave him an apologetic smile. „I believe you need to get checked for a possible concussion. But I thought getting you to a hospital would only distress you further and might alert...you know who.“

Tina, who watched her surroundings in confusion only got more lost. „What, Voldemort?“

Gavin giggled. Hm, maybe he did have a concussion. He did feel rather loopy. „No, you absolute nerd.“

They were greeted by the main Jericho Crew in the lobby. Simon immediately rushing over and taking Gavins head in his hands. He tilted it this way and that while Gavin enjoyed the cold hands on heated skin. Did he always have a headache?

„Yes, definitely a concussion. Better we sit you down somewhere, hm?“ Simon said, gently laying a hand on his shoulder to guide him along.

Markus shook his head. „You know how to keep us on our toes, that's for sure, Gavin.“

It wasn't meant to be judging. Gavin knew the leader of the Androids wasn't mad at him. And yet guilt sparked within him.

Tina now had fully lost the thread.

„Wait, wait! Gavin you are buddies with these people?“

„It hasn't been for long, yet.“ Simon said reassuringly.

Gavin wasn't paying attention. He watched the LEDs around him flickering yellow, before suspicously glancing over to Connor. The bastards were doing their mind thingy again. Gavin hated being left out. Though he could already guess what was being said between them.  
He was proven right when North perked up with a grin.

„Was it a cool fight?“

A hissed „North!“ by Josh was ignored and talked over by Tina. „Nah, Gavin got his ass handed to him.“

Whelp, that was it, his best friend status. Replaced by an Android. Figures.

„If the spot is free, I could be your new best friend.“

Wait, did he say that out loud? And how the fuck did Connor get to his side so fast?  
„Fuck, no. You don't know enough memes for that.“

„If that is the only requirement.“

Gavin saw Markus fondly shake his head. The conversation kept drifting to other topics as they sat down in a sort of common room area. It was a nice, lively place. Other Androids roaming about, reading, talking or just standing still with their LEDs flickering from yellow to blue and back while they chatted with friends outside Jericho.  
Gavin felt like in a bad High School movie or something. Being in the group of cool kids as the Androids made place for them on the couch and armchairs. He sacked against Simon as soon as he sat down closing his eyes against the light. It wasn't too bright in the first place, but it still made his headache worse.

„If you fall asleep. I will wake you in an hour, alright?“ Simon whispered to him.

He didn't get to sleep. His body refusing to rest even now. It was warm, though, sitting between two Androids, who kept their temperatures a little higher to help him relax. The light chatter around him was calming, too. Gavin didn't like to admit it, but he was kind of an extrovert. Having deprived himself of people for the last month had really taken a toll on him. Being surrounded by others again was nice.

Now if that fucking guilt would just go away.

____________________

He wasn't allowed to work the next day. Simon denying him the sweet distraction of his case load. It was fair, in a way. Gavin understood that he was in no shape to get anything done. And yet.  
Gavin had a weird relationship with people.  
You see, he loved being around others, but he panicked when they got too close. It was easy, after twenty years of only having one real friend, to feel smothered by the amount of friends he had gained. And Gavin didn't deal well with that.  
At all.  
North noticed, being the one usually left to look after New Jericho when the others went to conferences. Not that she wasn't trusted with public speaking. Only she wasn't very good at peace talk. She was better at handling the issues of Android sex trafficing and of keeping everyone at bay in New Jericho. North had once told him what Deviants were capable of when bored out of their minds. Not to forget that there were still a lot, who were traumatized or didn't know how to deal with emotion. Not that Gavin was faring much better in that regard.  
Point was: She was around when Gavin started wandering the building like a lost child, only with more angry grumbling. Androids gave him a wide berth, eyeing him warily.  
North stood in his way somewhere on the second or third floor – Gavin really hadn't looked where he was going.

„You're acting like a tiger in a cage, what's up champ?“

Gavin shrugged, leaning heavily on the wall. The bright lights still hurt his head and maybe he had moved too much already. „I just feel kinda trapped.“ He admitted.

„Okay. Trapped like yesterday?“

„Yeah.“

North crossed her arms, drumming slender fingers on her leather attire in thought. „I'm not letting you get out seeking a fight. Simon and Markus would have my head. But I could spar with you for a bit. I've been itching for some action for a while now, too.“

That had Gavin raise his head to look at her. He had to squint, bright lights making it hard to see. She looked so slender, but she too was a bit taller than he. And in her leather jacket and tight fitted clothing she looked like a badass superhero. Or a biker bride, or something. Well she looked like she could kick some ass. And that was really all that mattered.

„You know what? That sounds like a fucking plan.“ he replied.

Gavin was only slightly surprised to find New Jericho had a gym. The old him would have scoffed, of course. After all, Androids didn't need to work out to keep in shape. But having been around them long enough he understood the need for one. These hunks of plastic could get damn fidgety, too, when something didn't go their way.  
There was a big area laid out with blue mats, away from all the trainings equipment. Gavin went to one of the padded walls and crouched down. In a neatly labeled box lay bandages and gloves. Shedding his jacket he went about preparing himself for the sparing match.  
North kneeled down beside him, doing the same. It was a blessing that she didn't talk. Gavin was sure he would not have been able to have heard her. There was a ringing in his ears now, that had suddenly loudly announced its presence. It vanished when he stood up again and waited a few seconds for his vision to clear.  
North frowned at him.

He waved her off. „Just stood up too fast. Happens to us humans sometimes.“

„Sure.“ she said, not sounding convinced at all, but going into a fighting stance anyway. „Ready when you are.“

Gavin scoffed. „Honey, I was born ready.“

He marveled at her confusion and used it to go for a swift kick to where a humans kidneys would be. She blocked his kick with a hand, gripping his leg to throw him away. He stumbled back, vision already darkening a bit at the edges and breaths coming in small bursts. Fuck, was he that out of shape? When had been the last time he went to the gym like that?  
There came no follow attack. North stood mere meters away from him, pose relaxed yet alert. She let him catch his breath and waited till he attacked again.  
That riled him up. Was he really that weak that she didn't see him as a threat at all?  
In the back of his mind he knew, that it didn't matter. This was no real fight, only a sparing match. And he _was_ injured, so of course North wouldn't go full on out. His pride didn't see it like that.  
He stormed at her again, trying to find an opening in her defense, but his head kept turning into a mushy state. There wasn't much energy left in him. North barely needed to deflect the blows. In no time she had him pinned to the ground, hands held behind his back and counting down while he squirmed to get back up.

„North! What are you doing?!“

Simon raced over to them and immediately Gavin felt the weight on his back let up. Simon helped him stand up slowly, probably scanning his vitals again. North stood a little to the side, hands on her hips.

„I was just helping him get rid of the pent up energy.“ she defended herself.

„He has a concussion, North. He isn't supposed to move much at all.“ Simon groaned, holding Gavin upright, because holy shit did the world always rotate this fast?

„Look, sometimes you have to ignore the body to cure the mind.“ North said.

„That's not how-. Nevermind. Help me get him to his room? He needs some water and a decent amount of sleep.“

„And pain meds.“ Gavin croaked, headache coming down full force on his brain.

„And pain meds.“ Simon assured.

The way back to his room was long, too long for Gavins exhausted body. Simon and North were both supporting him by the time they got to his door. And wasn't that weird. Him, a human, having his own room in New Jericho. Call the fucking news. Holy shit. He could be the next peace idol.  
Oh wait no, the news were bad. Right. They had fucked up and got him into this mess. Huh, had there always been a Simon clone in the room? Wait when did he get into bed?

„North you made it worse.“ Simon whined.

He adjusted Gavins position so that he was half sitting up, supported by pillows. Gavin blinked up at him from time to time, gaze glassy.

„I was being gentle.“ North countered, furrowing her brow in worry. „He won't die from this, will he?“

Simon was quiet for an uncomfortable long time while testing Gavins reaction time and sight. „Get him a glass of water and some pain meds, please? The weak kind.“

North hesitated. „Simon.“

„Go.“ Simon said gently, giving her one of those placating smiles that made it hard to get angry at him.

She huffed. „Fine. Don't tell me then, asshole.“

Simon may have been slightly irritated (Gavin didn't think the Android could get angry), but Gavin was really thankful. Finally his body was at the brink. His brain felt loopy enough to stop with the nerves and worries and guilt. His body was so exhausted that he felt like sleeping for days on end. After swallowing the meds and drinking some water he was ready for a huge snooze fest.  
Which he was denied. Because of course he fucking was.  
Simon, or North or Josh came in at least every hour to see if he was okay. And then there was food to be had and bathroom breaks to take.  
It sucked.  
He wished he could just relax like normal human beings.  
It went on like this for a while, though Gavin couldn't tell how much time had passed. He was slowly getting better, was allowed to walk around a little, too.  
He was reading some magazine about space when Markus showed up. Gavin knew it was him from the moment he knocked on the door. No one did that anymore, not even Simon.

„Hey long time no seen, big boss.“ Gavin greeted the Android leader.

„Good evening, Gavin. How are you feeling today?“

Always so fucking formal, that weirdo. „My head doesn't want to kill me anymore. So I'm fucking awesome.“

Markus hummed. He took the chair sitting at the desk next to the bed and sat down, studying Gavin with mismatched eyes. „Simon said you would be allowed to get back to work in a day or two. But, I believe we both know that wasn't what I was asking about.“

Gavin fiddled with the tablet, frowning. He wished they still printed normal paper ones. Turning the pages and rubbing the slightly rough surface had always helped to calm him down. He had also liked the smell. That stench of new print. Now it was only ever plastic. And in this day and age plastic had about as much character as the protagonists in early video games. Except for the walking, talking plastic pricks, of course.

„Why does everyone and their mom suddenly want to meddle in my fucking private life?“ Gavin finally asked.

„I don't know about everyones moms, but you helped me with Leo. And you have been a good companion outside of that as well. I just want to return the favor.“

„It doesn't fucking work like that. I'm not asking for help, because there's nothing to help me with. 'Lijahs just too fucking stubborn! One little thing goes wrong and he gets paranoid and overprotective. He has no clue what laws are, or privacy! He just does what he wants whenever he wants to and he is smart and resourceful enough to get away with it, too!“  
He is not like Leo. Gavin would have added, but even he knew that would have been a low blow.

„So you don't think you could come to a compromise?“

Gavin scoffed. There came his headache again. „In your terms? The probability of that happening is pretty fucking low.“

____________________

„Chloe I want to see him.“ Elijah stated. He was dressed casually in a black T-shirt and dark red hoody, with black jeans and shoes to match. His hair was in his usual neat bun and he was shaved.

Chloe was really happy to see him healthy and firey again, but this version of him was a whole other level of difficult to handle. It took all of his daughters to keep him preoccupied. They knew he would go back into a frency, if he heard about Gavins condition right now.

„I don't think that's a good idea, yet.“ she tried. Via connection she and the ST200 models were furiously brainstorming ways to keep him in the mansion.

„But he is not answering his phone and I need to talk to him.“

„You need to give him time to calm down.“

„He's had a little over a month, already Chlo. I'm not waiting another 20 years.“

Chloe was about to wrestle the genius away from the door when a voice akin to her own piped up from behind them.

„Do you even know what to say to him?“ Charlotte asked. She wore a grim expression, looking like a witch about to strike with the red, open hairstyle she had choosen for herself.

Elijahs shoulders slumped as he turned to one of his younger daughters. „I'm going to apologize.“

„And?“ Charlotte pried.

„I'm going to try and find a compromise with him.“

„But what should that look like? Charlotte asked.

Elijah frowned and Chloe was overjoyed to see his thinker face back on. She loved watching the gears turn in his head. She send her praise to Charlotte via their connection and got a formless smile back that resonated in her minds eye.  
She jumped a little when Elijah suddenly moved back into the mansion, mumbling to himself. He was already lost in his mind and Chloe eagerly followed him into his workshop where she was soon acting as his assistant again. Oh, how she had missed these old times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of fun to write and edit. I'm happy to reintroduce the Jericho Crew again~  
> I had a blast writing North to be honest XD  
> I kinda lost track of how many Chloes they are supposed to be in Elijahs mansion. I think in the game there  
> were four? But my first fic featured more than that. I also only named two... I'm not quite sure how to handle that  
> issue yet^^;
> 
> Thank you for reading :)


	4. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin and Elijah meet again. Will they finally be able to have a normal conversation?

Gavin was happy to be back at work, throwing himself full force into the new cases he got. He had a lot to catch up to, after all. The time in New Jericho had helped him calm down a bit, but it was the two weeks back in his apartment that really got him back on track. The storm had blown over. His phone didn't explode with meaningful, overemotional messages anymore. Easy banter replaced it. He went back to writing with his nieces from time to time, apologizing first for the long absence, relieved when no angry reply came back. It wasn't perfect. There was still dead silence between him and Elijah bringing Gavins mood down from time to time. Connor and Tina had to cheer him up more often than not confusing people at the bullpen. Gavin also still consumed much more coffee than usual, which lead to a whole lot of potty breaks.

„Can I at least tell Hank?“ Connor asked, having followed the detective into the bathroom.

„Holy fuck, Connor! Don't sneak up on a guy like that. And fuck no!“ Gavin cursed, washing his hands maybe a little too aggressively.

„But I really don't like lying to my daddy.“ Connor whined.

Gavin choked on thin air. „Don't say it like that, geez.“

Connor frowned. „What's wrong with me calling Hank daddy? Is it not a term of endearment?“

Gavin coughed, glad no one else was around to overhear that conversation. „Yeah, it's a term of endearment, alright. Gosh, leave The Talk to Hank not me.“

„I don't understand.“

„'Course you don't, dipshit. Pinnacle of intelligence my ass. Whatcha lying to Hank for anyway?“

„He asks why you are more of a grump than usual. I can't outright say why to him, so I have to make up excuses.“ Connor sounded like he was confessing to a murder. Gavin nearly felt bad for him.

„Just tell him it's none of his business, dipshit.“ he grumbled gently shouldering Connor aside to exit the bathroom and resume his work.

This was what he hated about having friends. They got tangled up in his shit so he couldn't ignore the burning mound of brown goo like he usually did. Maybe it was time to face his demons (or demon of a brother) head on, again. It couldn't get much worse than last time, right?  
Despite thinking that he still couldn't bring himself to write Elijah. It only served to make his stress levels spike.

Over the course of several days he would feel a mounting desire to call his brother. He would then pick up his phone, scroll to Elijahs name on the contact list and...Well and then his thumb would hover over the call button, trembling like an aggravated bee. He never pulled through that last bout of hesitation. Gavin would then go to his picture folder instead and look through the happy times like the absolute masochist that he was.  
It was one of those times when it happened. He was laying on his couch phone held up above his head just staring at a picture Claire had made during their Christmas movie night. Then his phone vibrated a message from Elijah popping up. He startled so badly that he dropped the cellphone onto his fucking face. Jumping upright with an „Ow, fuck!“ he grapped the offending item before it could fall to the floor. His heart was beating out of his chest as he wiped the screensaver away and opened the text. It was one simple line. One that made him dizzy with excitement and fear.

_Would you try talking to me again?_

Shit what was he supposed to respond? Yes? But that would mean actually taking action. Which would mean actually _facing_ him again. He tried to imagine their next encounter, tried to see them sitting across from each other talking. It was a relief when he saw his brothers face in his minds eye and didn't get angry. Okay maybe he could do it after all.  
He didn't want to wait for himself to be shoved in another bucket of entrails in a commercially overloaded holiday season again to work up the nerve to talk to his fucking family.

_Yes wher do yu wanna meet?_

He typed back, hitting send without giving himself time for doubt. The reply came in an instant.

_At my house? Going out is a bit hard being myself..._

That's where the paranoia set in again. Elijahs house? Would he be able to get out again? Gavin shook his head with a frown. What the hell was he thinking? His brother wasn't a damn evil master mind as much as he sometimes liked to act like it. And anyway, Chloe and the others would be there as well. They wouldn't let Elijah do anything stupid.

_Fine coming over_

He would not be able to sleep tonight anyway, he decided. He had been pacing while writing already, which meant the only thing he still needed to do was throw on his jacket, make sure he got his card and keys and run out. This time he took his car and he raced like the devil was behind him. Thankfully the streets weren't too packed. He only raged a few times when the traffic lights decided to be dicks and switch to red when he was about to drive by.  
He was at his brothers house in record time. And then he slowed down. Like, to a snails pace. It was stupid but his nerves hit him full blast the moment he looked up at that fancy ass building. Charlotte was waiting for him at the door, but she let him take his time, watching him approach with a gentle smile.  
Only when he was within arms reach did she jolt forward and hug him. Gavin was sure he could feel wetness on his shoulder.

„I missed you.“ were the first strangled words to leave her.

„I know. I'm sorry.“ he whispered back, holding her tight for a bit before stepping back.

Charlotte quickly wiped her eyes, professional mask slipping right back into place. His nieces were all still assistants at heart. Gavin sometimes wondered if they really had aquired freedom in that regard.

„Elijah is in the basement with Chloe. He hurried there right after he got the message you were coming. I believe he will be up shortly.“ she said while they were walking to the living room.

Gavin was trembling by the time they got there. Unable to sit down he wandered around, looking at the stuff he had come to know by heart. Charlotte stood ramrod straight watching him with a small, pleased smile.

„Where are the others?“ Gavin asked. The emptyness of the house weirded him out. Alarm bells were already starting to ring. (And this time Gavin wasn't sure if it was nerves or gut instinct.)

„They are upstairs. We thought it best to give you some privacy first. But someone had to make sure you would actually come inside.“

Gavin laughed at that, tense and thin. It was more of a wheeze, honestly. „You know me too well.“

A crash came from somewhere within the mansion. And like déjà vu Elijah stumbled in the room a moment later, Chloe hot on his heels. Charlotte immediately went to the RT600 model, who gave Gavin a small wave before leaving with her sister.  
Elijah and Gavin both looked after them for a bit. The genius was the first to snap out of his trance.

„Sorry for not greeting you first. I hadn't planned for you to come around so early and I wanted to prepare something. It's not ready yet, but I at least wanted to be able to show you if the chance arose.“ he babbled, clearing his throat in between sentences and looking everywhere but Gavin.

It was weirdly calming, knowing Elijah was as underprepared as he was. Even if the stuff he said sounded vaguely suspicious.

„That's...cool?“ Gavin tried, his voice cracking.

They stood around like two idiots forgetting their lines in a play. Gavin wondered if his nieces were watching them somehow and if they felt as frustrated as he did, if they were.

„So...uh...you wanted to talk?“ Gavin asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

„Yes!...yes. Look, I want to apologize first and foremost. What I tried to make you do wasn't right, not when you wanted to join the police academy and not this time. I...I guess I have...well no I know I have issues. Chloe says I can be bit controlling.“

Gavin scoffed „That's one way of saying it.“

„Anyway. I'm trying to be better about that. I don't want to loose you again.“

Gavin sighed finally looking at his brother. The Android creator stared straight at him, face closed off. There was something vulnerable in his eyes, though. Gavin knew instantly that he wasn't lying, no need for Connor to check.

„That would be...acceptable.“ Gavin responded. „And I'm sorry too, I guess. You weren't wrong with saying that I'm too reckless. I'll try to keep it down from now on.“

Gavin saw how Elijahs shoulders slumped with relief and felt his own lump in his throat evaporate. Neither was moving towards each other yet, but Elijah was starting to twitch. Gavn tilted his head, curious.

„I wanted to ask you something actually.“ Elijah said after making some unsure, frustrated noises and working his mouth like a fish. „So we both established that I can be controlling and you are reckless, right?“

„Uhu.“ Gavin encouraged.

„And neither of us will be able to help it sometimes.“

„That's...That's probably true.“ Gavin muttered.

„I don't want it to escalate again like this, so I'm making something that I think would help both of us. Can I show you?“

Gavin nearly screamed no. Only because he knew whatever Elijah wanted to show him was in the basement and he absolutely hated Elijahs fucking creepy basement. It was every horror designers wet dream come true.

„Yeah. Okay.“ he squeaked instead.

Okay, the giddy grin Elijah threw him and the enthusiastic hand dragging him along was probably worth the oncoming nightmares.  
They took the elevator down. A plain silvery box polished to the point where Gavin could see himself even in the rough surface of the walls. It played some kind of power metal. Something new with a bit of techno mixed in and a heavy beat to underline the high female voice. Gavin had stopped listening to those things after he had started working at the DPD. But he had to admit he still liked the genre a lot. Elijah was tapping his foot to the rhythm, humming along. And then he was suddenly skipping out of the metal box, Gavin following him hesitantly.  
Yep, a fucking horror cabinet. Maybe he had watched too many horror movies that played in abandoned factories and research centres, but damn it Elijah didn't really try to make this fraction of the house homey at all.  
The light was too bright, reflecting off of the metal and stark white. Long winded corridors held a multitude of barely there doors. Thirium blue LED stripes pulsed on the walls. Elijahs workshop was a glasscube in the middle of the net of hallways. Not that you could see much of the glass. Huge shelfs lined the walls showcasing the multitude of Android parts and half finished gadgets. The doors hissed angrily at them as they went in. Gavin stuck close to his brother, creeped out to the core. He came to a stop abruptly as his eyes landed on the table in the middle of the cube. Or rather, what lay on the table.  
It looked like Connor and yet somehow not. Gavin could feel it even from where he stood, that this Android was different. Well it still was half build, its torso and throat open, eyes closed as if asleep. The LED on its temple wasn't swirling in any color, either. But that wasn't what felt different. Or it wasn't the only thing. This one, despite being turned off, held an aura of danger.  
He circled the table trying to catch every detail. After his initial „Holy shit.“ he actually found himself quite intrigued. He had only seen an Android being made once. And that was when Elijah had still worked in his dorm room at the campus and the Androids looked more like humanoid robots than humans.  
The Connor upgrade had a cable sticking out of the back of its neck, which was attached to a laptop. Gavins gaze swept over the code not comprehending anything he skimmed over, but kinda being able to see the beauty in it.  
His hand was fiddling carefully with the cord as he turned back to his brother. Elijah had come to stand close to the table as well looking proud.

„What is this supposed to mean 'Lijah?“

„This is RK900. It was supposed to be Cyberlifes latest, most advanced model. A deviant hunter like Connor, better than Connor. They were never able to finish it. Markus and North brought him to me after the revolution. They hadn't been able to wake him up at all so they had been forced to temporarily shut him down.“

Gavin blanched. „Wait you can do that? Doesn't that, like, kill it?“

„No. I said temporarily, didn't I? It's more of a prolonged stasis. Something the new line of models were supposed to have. It's like turning your laptop off when you don't need it anymore. Before all Androids would stand in their charging station if they weren't needed for long periods of time. But a lot found that creepy, them just standing there staring straight ahead. Especially households with caretaker Androids-“

„'Lijah get to the point.“ Gavin groaned.

„Right.“ Elijah cleared his throat, gesturing to the RK900. „He is one of the first models to have the feature of a temporarily shut down. Point is he isn't dead, just sleeping very deeply. He's comatose if you want to put it that way.“

„Great, so this is you're new pet project.“ Gavin said, already guessing what this all was about.

„Yes. And – with your blessing – I would like him to be your partner at the DPD, when I'm done with him.“

Gavin was silent for a while, gazing down at the still face of the RK900. It was pretty disgusting, but he had to admit he felt kind of giddy. Gavin hated partners. Most of the ones he had been forced to work with had only slowed him down. Connor and Hank had become somewhat competent after Gavin had stopped antagonizing them at every turn. And maybe this unit would be able to really help him.

„Well, what can it do?“

Elijah grinned from ear to ear. Gavin already regretted asking.

„Oh, so, so much.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! And I'm so happy to finally bring Nines into play and add him to the tags~
> 
> I feel super uncomfortable writing error ridden text messages for Gavin XD My friends and family all mostly use proper grammar and stuff when writing each other so intentionally shortening words or writing them wrong makes me cringe every time ><


	5. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The RK900 is finally turned on. Connor is ecstatic and the precinct gets a huge surprise.

Gavin came over with Connor the next time as a way of thanking him for cheering his ass up during the whole drama. The prototype immediately freaking imprinted on the RK900 model, gaze going all soft and fucking cooing at the damn thing.

„You do know that was supposed to replace you, right?“ Gavin said stiffly, arms crossed.

„And I was supposed to shot Markus in the head. Never stopped us from becoming buddies.“ Connor contered, while his hands stroked through his successors hair.

„Look at them. I never knew Connor had a narcisstic streak in him.“ Elijah whispered into Gavins ear from behind, making the shorter male snort.

Connor pouted. „I can still hear you. And I'm merely excited to meet my brother.“

„Don't get too happy about it. Big brothers are more work than they're worth.“ Gavin shot back, getting a stab to the ribs for his comment.

Connor frowned. „But wouldn't I be the big brother?“

____________________

Gavin used up pretty much all of his freetime to watch Elijah work on RK900. Not always did he do it because he wanted to. Honestly, more often than not Connor dragged him along. Mostly because the RK800 model still didn't feel comfortable in Elijahs home.  
Sometimes Tina came with them, complaining about being left out.  
It was fascinating, seeing an Android being rebuild like this. Most of it was coding, of course. RK900 had nearly been fully assembled before Elijah had gotten him, after all. And yet, sometimes Elijah would tweak a few things, experiment with the voice box or fine tune the plates on his face to allow for a wider range of emotions.  
Gavin would never say it out loud, but over the course of the next weeks he came to feel a surge of protectiveness whenever he looked at the RK900 unit.

He was in the middle of writing a report when Connor suddenly sprinted up to him, LED a solid red. Gavin was standing in a matter of seconds, knowing instantly what that meant and inwardly groaning. It hadn't been the first time Connor had contacted him in a hurry, it was just the first time it happened at the precinct.

„He's waking him up!“ Connor whispered excitedly.

„Con, we can't just-“

„It's nearly lunchbreak we can manage.“ Connor bubbled before sprinting off and out of the precinct.

Gavin cursed as he tried to catch up with the overexcited puppy of an Android. He skidded to a stop in the lobby where Hank was standing in their way, arms crossed. His gaze flickered to Connors red LED in anger.

„What the hell is going on here?“ he asked in his usual gruff tone.

Before Gavin could snap back Connor practically squealed. „Something amazing! You'll get it soon Hank. We'll be back right after lunch break. Come on Gavin!“

Honestly Gavin was amazed at the speed Connor could talk. His brain got about the last sentence the rest just blurring into a coil of words and flying over his head.  
He still flipped Hank off as he ran past him. Damn the bullpen would be full of gossip again when he came back.

„Shit, Con slow down!“ Gavin gasped. „I have the key to the fucking car!“

Gavin refused to let Connor drive to Elijah, which earned him a low, staticy whine and a pout. Damn Connor could act like a fucking kid sometimes.  
They marched right to the basement where the Elijah, Chloe and the ST200 models were already waiting.

„20 minutes 39 seconds.“ Chloe said as they stepped foot into the glasscube.

Elijah hummed. „Slower than I had expected.“

„Gavin didn't let me drive.“ Connor said as a way of explanation.

„Damn right I wouldn't.“

They crowded around the table, all anxious. Gavin stood beside his brother looking over the code again. He may not have understood much, but seeing the lines of commands somehow calmed him.

„You think it'll work this time?“ Connor asked, biting his lip. He was hovering over his brother.

„I hope so.“ Elijah sighed. „Step back a little will you? I don't want a repeat of last time.“

Connor scurried back, but not by much. Gavin came forward instead, hand resting on the cold edge of the table, right beside RK900s hand.

„Alright. Let's try this again.“ Elijah said, typing enter.

RK900 startled awake with several clicks and a whir of fans. He sat up fast, blinking rapidly. The LED on his temple shone yellow as he tried to take everything in. Gavin tensed up as grey eyes landed on him. This had happened a few times by now and yet Gavin could never get used to it. RK900 did not use acceptable human expressions yet. Much like a little child he would stare and stare and stare until he was satisfied with the data he had gathered. After about a minute Connors successor model let his gaze wander. The humans in the room held their breath as he found Connor. Connor beamed at him, unafraid even though the RK900 had tried attacking him on all test runs before.  
This time he didn't. He stared, unmoving for a second and then came to look at Elijah, who had cleared his throat.  
The genius was smiling gently at his creation.

„Hello RK900. I am Elijah, your creator. This is Gavin, my brother and the one looking like you is Connor your predecessor.“ „Brother!“ Connor interjected.

„Greetings. I am RK900.“ came the monotone answer.

„RK900. Register new objective. Keep Gavin safe during his job at the DPD.“

„New Objective registered: Keep Gavin safe.“

„Very good.“ Elijah sighed, tiredness finally overtaking the adrenalin. Gavin came to stand by his side again, letting his brother lean on him.

Connor stuck out his hand to the RK900 unit, fake skin already peeling back, asking for a data transfer. Gavin watched, fascinated as the two connected, blue light illuminating the touching hands.

Connor frowned when he pulled back. „I still can't wake him.“

„No. He'll have to deviate in his own time. It was hard enough getting rid of his killer program.“

„Do you want to keep him for now?“ Gavin asked. He didn't want the RK unit following him 24/7. He knew from Connor how far undeviated Androids could take some orders and he did want to keep some privacy.

„I'll ask Hank if he would mind. But yes. I'd like that.“

____________________

It took a bit of paperwork for RK900 to be accepted into the DPD. He was immediately assigned to Gavin as well, who started calling him Nines from the first day onwards. The people at the precinct weren't as surprised as they would have been about half a year ago at Gavins lax attitude towards the new RK unit. Some even teased him about going soft.  
Unfortunately Nines still had some glitches to work out. The new temporary shut down function didn't work as flawlessly as it should. Maybe it was something with the new lines of code that didn't sit well with it. Whatever it was, Nines tended to shut down from time to time. It was only short intervalls at first, but one day Nines wouldn't power up again.  
Gavin was anxiously looking over to his partner every few minutes. It was scary to see the LED only pulse blue now and again. Sometimes it looked like he was truly dead. Hank and Connor watched Nines as well, both wearing twin frowns betraying their worry.  
There was a sudden hush in the precinct as the doors slid open and none other than Elijah Kamski walked through with a heavy looking suitcase in hand. He made a beeline for the prone Android, giving Gavin a shy grin.  
Whispers started filling the air as the genius worked. Gavin relaxed by the minute until his focus was fully back at the report he was writing. Working with his brother close by had always upped his performance. The others didn't fare as well. Most had stopped working altogether. Even Fowler had poked his head out of the office to watch the genius as he fiddled around.  
A click and a whir and then Nines blinked back to life. Gavin looked up from his screen to smile at his partner.

„Yo, welcome back to the living, tincan.“ he teased. „You got the bug out this time?“ he turned to Elijah.

His brother shrugged, placing his laptop back into the suitcase together with some of the tools he had used. „I think so. Though, I fear I'll have to find a way to delete the temporary shut down feature. It messes with the rest of his code. Anyway I'll be on my way. I promised Chloe to go to that art exhibit in town.“

„Sure, have fun 'Lijah.“

Gavin didn't see as Elijah halted, already focussed on the letters on his terminal again. He did feel the hands on his shoulder and the kiss to his temple. He also felt Elijahs grin as he skipped back.

„See you around brother dearest!“ he shouted over his shoulder.

There was some choking and cursing in the background. Nines furrowed his brow, looking around in confusion. Gavin heard Connor giggle while Hank was starting to curse him out for knowing and not telling him. He just sighed.

„Don't worry Nines, they are just being weird.“ Gavin reassured his partner. „No danger here.“ he added, just to make sure.

He was relieved when Nines turned his attention back to work. Gavin followed letting the people around him be crazy. Well at least the cat was out of the bag now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus it ends~ Well at least the Elijah and Gavin prominent part of the story. I'll take a bit of a break from this story-verse and focus on a few lighter pieces next (who am I kidding I'm already working on a multi chapter story again)
> 
> Fun story: This last week my laptop got a virus and I was scared that I had lost the last chapter of this story. Thankfully I saved it to my Email adress beforehand. It would have been sad to lose this epilogue. It's a bit ironic though, cause I was writing about viruses a lot in my big WIP and I was recently at a Linux convention where the subject came up as well XD
> 
> Anyway I hope you enjoyed this. And thank you all so much for all the views, kudos and comments~ <3


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